Network Rail's Challenge - An Infrastructure that Works

In June 1999 TSSA published an independent report commissioned from the Advanced Railway Research Centre at Sheffield University on Railtrack's stewardship of the rail network.

Three years later the report's conclusions remain relevant and are a measure of the challenge facing Railtrack's successor, Network Rail, that of making Britain's railway fit for purpose, not only for today's passenger but to meet the future growth that the industry and Government are committed to.

Below is a TSSA summary of the ARRC Report.

• Railtrack has failed to invest sufficiently in the network infrastructure.
  
  
• Whilst there is evidence that Railtrack are now injecting larger amounts of capital into the network, the lack of adequate investment in previous years has had a damaging effect on the network. Current investment will need to take this past neglect into account when planning for the future
  
  
• Railtrack need to reassess the appropriate levels of investment to fulfill its license obligations in respect of network maintenance and renewal within the context of the growing patronage of rail from passengers and freight operators.
  
  
• The maintenance and renewal policy is based on "patch and mend" rather than network enhancement.
  
  
• The maintenance and renewal policy of "patch and mend" based on restricted levels of investment appears responsible for diminishing safety standards in respect of broken rails as the quality of the network deteriorates as the age of assets are extended beyond their optimum life.
  
  
• Railtrack have helped create contractual relationships with its suppliers that are hostile to the interests of the industry and the efficient expansion that the network urgently requires.
  
  
• Railtrack have helped create contractual relationships with its suppliers that are hostile to the interests of the industry and the efficient expansion that the network urgently requires.
  
  
• Railtrack have separated design from implementation, which can lead to a discrepancy between what a project was intended to perform, and subsequently what it actually does. This can also force contractors into a Dutch auction when competing for delivery.
  
  
• Railtrack's ability to manage certain complex projects is unsatisfactory, as the Severn Tunnel and West Coast main line projects demonstrate.
  
  
• The restructuring and redundancies resulting from rail privatisation has contributed to concerns regarding the safety record of Railtrack and its contractors.